New to the family 2001 Eurovan Weekender

[white_one]

Happy New Year!

[white_one]

After several months away from the forum, I'm back at it.

The A-pillars in Nina were cracked since I got her. The driver's side was terrible, the passenger side was just beginning to crack. I looked and looked for replacements to no avail. It was mandatory the grab handles were maintained, so aftermarket reproductions were out. Finally, over xmas, several pairs appeared on eBay.

I didn't take a picture of the old ones in the van, but this gives a good idea of how cracked they were. These are the worst 2 cracks, but there were another 5 or so!

passenger side - It's cracking around the screw hole.

Looking at the used ones I bought, while much better than mine, they were still cracking. I did some reinforcement on the back, hoping to extend their life:

Driver side installed!

I missed taking a picture with the screw cover installed.

I'll do the passenger side next weekend, if the California deluge ever ends...

This has been a massive relief to have fixed. It was so annoying to see cracked trim everytime I got in.

[VanGeek]

Nina looks great! Good approach for reinforcing the new pillars.

[OB Bus]

So for the mechanically inept, that is drywall tape? Fiberglass tape? Covered with 5 minute epoxy? Something else?
Thanks,,,
_________________
Larry in OB
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!
69 Westfalia and 2002 Eurovan Camper.

[white_one]

[white_one]

Quick pic of camping at Bodega Bay. This was the first camping trip of 2023!

[Kevin_IN]

[VanGeek]

I also have a 2001 weekender and recently removed the flasher switch. My switch contained the integrated flasher relay -- yours should as well unless a PO modified the wiring.

See photos of my switch and other info here. https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=765790&highlight=flasher

Pls post a photo of your switch

[white_one]

I have not posted in a long time, and there is a good reason. Nina sleeps outside, and the winter was not kind to her.

Here is a picture from a distance. She looks pretty good.

However it you get closer, things are so goo. I had clear coat peeling all over the van.

On the rear hatch

The fiberglass top was not looking good

It has bugged me from day one that the black vinyl between the windows was in poor shape

Nina had been repainted under previous ownership and it was not well done. The rear hatch never matched the rest of the car.

[white_one]

I decided to have the damage repaired. I used a high volume facility I've used in the past. Things escalated quickly! Everything you see marked in green is getting worked on.

[white_one]

Here are some work in progress pictures.

Here you can see some preliminary sanding and filling of dents. Keep in mind that I had over 20 dents repaired by PDR when I purchased Nina. I knew there was some remaining damage, I did not know it was this much.

The top was sanded to to fiberglass and then covered in a polyester high fill primer

[white_one]

Here is Nina immediately after paint, prior to polish. Getting to this point took 7 weeks. There is a nationwide shortage on paint that delayed this project.

[white_one]

Here is Nina during the polish and reassembly phase. You will also see that she received fresh strips and black vinyl between the window.

[white_one]

Here are the results. These were taken in full sunlight by iPhone.

She received a new hood vent. It has been cracked since I got her.

I like this last photo, it shows the pearl and metallic in the color. Ignore the water drop!

[VanGeek]

Wow! Looks $$$ but also looks great!

I have a little clearcoat peal on the drivers side area above the window although the basecoat still looks excellent. I've seen some good DIY 2K clearcoat repairs and mine is artic white so I think it can be done well as a DIY job. I may get to it this Fall.

I also have sun damage to the black vinyl inserts on the driver's side and have the materials to replace them. Gotta sort out how to remove the window trims...

Enjoy reading your posts and Nina looks great -- keep up the good work!

[Abscate]

I was going to comment that the clearcoat and pop top cracking were nt serious…. But obviously one of us has standards that far exceed the other

🤓🤓🤓

It looks beautiful. My poor Colorado Red 2002 has lots of character marks that are a natural part of its beauty.
_________________
.ssS!

[white_one]

It's an affliction I have. I was excited to buy a van I didn't need to baby, and then I let this happen. Oh well... it's still been a lot of fun!

[shirk]

Looks great.

[Endopotential]

Gorgeous paint job! Make sure you get a nice solid cover to protect that beauty.

I live around SF as well. Which shop did you use?

[white_one]